| 1981Vicki (Gee) Norton, Ph.D. ’90, a partner in Duane Morris’ San Diego law office, has been named co-head of the firm’s newly formed Life Sciences and Biotechnology division. Norton’s practice focuses on biotechnology and chemical patent counseling and litigation. |
| 1982Paul Geyer has authored a children’s book, RodeoDude (BookSurge Publishing, 2010), about a lost border collie who turns up at a rodeo, makes new friends and gains a name and a new home. Geyer lives in Merced with his wife and son, and works in the petroleum industry. |
| 1983Sharon Gleason, J.D., became Alaska’s first female federal court judge in November, after the U.S. Senate voted 87–8 to confirm her appointment. President Obama appointed her to the U.S. District Court in April 2011 on the recommendation of Sen. Mark Begich, D-Alaska, who praised her judicial temperament, fairness and “pioneering work on behalf of families and children.” |
| 1984Inga Ballard is an actress/singer who performed in a recent production of Two Gentlemen Of Verona at The Shakespeare Theatre Company in Washington, D.C. In 2010, she toured the United Arab Emirates with the Duke Ellington Big Band. She has worked in regional theaters around the country as well as the first two national tours of Ragtime. When not on the road, she is a voice-over and commercial actress. Some of her clients include Walmart, PBS, McDonalds, Verizon and Accu Chek. She has also appeared on Law & Order CI and All My Children. • Robert Kiss was recently elected a fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering for his “outstanding contributions to industrial cell culture and fermentation technology in the field of biopharmaceuticals.” He works at Genentech in South San Francisco. |
| 1985Lynda Felder, M.A., recently published a book, Writing for the Web, Writing Compelling Web Content Using Words, Pictures and Sound (New Riders Press, 2011), and maintains a companion website, www.Write4web.com. |
| 1986Brad Hicks, M.A. ’88, a news anchor at WITI-TV in Milwaukee, won five Emmy Awards last November. He won individual achievement awards for his work as news anchor, news reporter and news writer. He also won Emmys for his feature profiling dwarf pianist and composer Chris Errera, and for an exposé on how a man who was supposed to be deported was released from jail and then killed a woman. • Terri Lynn Roth, M.S. ’88—the Cincinnati Zoo’s vice president of conservation and science and director of the zoo-based Center for Conservation and Research of Endangered Wildlife—is one of 29 nominees for the 2012 Indianapolis Prize for animal conservation. She was nominated for her work in breeding Sumatran rhinos. A calf born at the Cincinnati Zoo in 2001 was the first born in human care in 112 years, with two more born there since. • Gayne Sears was recently promoted to district ranger at the Colville National Forest in northeastern Washington. Sears is responsible for building relationships with local elected officials, tribes and hydropower licensees. During her career of more than 20 years, she has also worked at the Sierra and Ashley national forests. She also is completing a Master of Natural Resources degree at Utah State University. She lives in Newport, Wash., with her husband, Curt Palmer, a retired federal forest fire management officer. |
| 1987Julie Silver wrote You Can Heal Yourself (St. Martin’s Press, 2012), a guide to recovery after illness or injury. An assistant professor at Harvard Medical School, she has written and edited more than 20 books. She is a cancer survivor, and she was awarded the Lane Adams Quality for Life honor by the American Cancer Society for her work helping cancer patients recover after treatment. |
| 1989Author Melissa Bourbon Ramirez has two new books. A Fitting End (Penguin/NAL), the second in her bestselling Magical Dressmaking Mystery series, came out in February. Bare Naked Lola, the third book in her Lola Cruz Mysteries series (St. Martin’s Minotaur and Entangled Publishing), is scheduled for release in April. An out-of-print nonfiction book that she co-authored, The Tricked-out Toolbox: Promotion and Marketing Tools Every Writer Needs, was also re-released in February. For more information, visit www.melissabourbon.com. |
| 1990Jonna Mazet, ’92 D.V.M., M.P.V.M., co-director of the UC Davis Wildlife Health Center, received the Tom Thorne and Beth Williams Memorial Award from the Wildlife Disease Association in Quebec, Canada, last August. The award recognizes outstanding contribution or achievement combining wildlife disease research with wildlife management policy implementation. Sharon Wu Nitsche, a graduate of the UC Davis ROTC program, was selected to the rank of lieutenant colonel in the U.S. Army Reserves in January. She also assumed responsibility as the deputy G-2, 75th Training Division (Mission Command) based at Ellington Field, Houston, Texas. In her civilian capacity, she works for Halliburton in Houston. |
| 1991William Muñoz, a shareholder with Murphy, Pearson, Bradley & Feeney law firm, was recently certified by the California State Bar as a specialist in legal malpractice law. His Sacramento practice focuses on the defense of professionals, including attorneys, real estate agents/brokers, real estate appraisers and insurance brokers. • John Murphy retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve as a lieutenant commander last July. He recently upgraded to captain at Southwest Airlines on the Boeing 737. • A new novel by Mark Wisniewski, M.A., Show Up, Look Good (Gival Press, 2011) is drawing comparisons by reviewers to The Catcher in the Rye and Bright Lights, Big City. For links to the reviews, visit www.showuplookgood.com/news.htm. |
| 1992Christopher Koehler, M.A. ’93, wrote his third novel. First Impressions (Dreamspinner Press)—a gay riff on Pride and Prejudice—is due out in April. He lives in Davis with his husband, Burch R. Bryant Jr., M.D. ’93, and their son. |
| 1995Stephen McCord, M.S. Ph.D. ’99, is president of Davis-based McCord Environmental Inc. www.mccenv.com, consulting with government and nonprofit clients on water quality and watershed management. |
| 1996David Chao was promoted to manager of Canada sales operation for Cisco Systems’ collaboration software group. He previously managed the company’s public sector practice. He lives in El Dorado Hills with his wife, Patricia, and their three kids. He writes a technology blog at davidchao.typepad.com. |
| 1997Loren Sperber recently opened Villa Florentina villaflorentina.net, a luxury event venue surrounded by a working Olive grove in Coloma. When not hosting weddings, retreats and other events, Sperber is a firefighter/paramedic for a local fire department and an adjunct professor with the Los Rios Community Colleges. |
| 1998Mari Chinn, an associate professor at North Carolina State University, received the 2011 A.W. Farrall Young Educator Award from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers last fall. |
